Anneliese
by Sadie Lovegood
Summary: Ever since the beginning of the new semester, Allison begins having strange nightmares. She soon starts seeing a ghostly girl in school with a secret that could drastically change the life of another Breakfast Club member...
1. The Third Dream

"**Anneliese"**

_**Author's Note: **I've been playing around with ideas, even publishing one that wasn't going anywhere (sorry, I had to delete it). This one, hopefully, is here to stay. Again, I WILL update "Dear Damn Diary" as well. This one has been started in the spirit of Halloween, and I hope this more "supernatural" approach is to your liking. Review me, no bashing, thanx! Enjoy! It takes place sometime the following school year after The Breakfast Club…Senior Year for everyone! Again…NO bashing, this fic is made up of every ghost-story cliché imaginable!

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_**Summary:** Allison is beginning senior year happier than ever before. She has a loving boyfriend, and for the first time in her life…friends. But ever since the beginning of the semester, she begins having strange nightmares, getting horrid migraines, and seeing a girl roaming the school who no one seems to know anything about. Soon, the girl pleads for Allison's help to find her lost lover, and at the same time strange…and painful things begin to happen to Bender and Andy…_

_**Rating: **PG-12, for some thematic elements.

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_A darkened science room of the 200 wing. Outside the window it is gray and spotting rain. The red and yellow flames from the Bunsen Burner dance on the walls and reflect off the clock, reading 3:10 PM. Two young people, one of each sex, huddled around a boiling flask. _

_"I TOLD you we shouldn't have waited until the last day!" says the girl. The boy, brushing his long dark hair behind his ear, sighs and continues the project. The girl slowly slips her hand over the boy's hand. The boy looks up and smiles mischievously. _

_"We should leave this on Mr. Verigold's desk…that'd be a big surprise for him!" says the boy. The girl rolls her eyes. "I can imagine it now…" imitating their teacher's walk, the boy struts around the lab bench. The girl giggles. _

_But suddenly, the boy trips. A second beaker of red fluid is spilt and drips into the boiling flask. The girl gasps, but it's too late. A red gas is emitted from the flask. A poisonous gas. "Oh shit!" yells the boy. The gas makes it hard to see. The girl hits the floor and scurries around looking for her boyfriend. He is on the other side of the room looking for the switch to the fume hood fan. The girl leans up against the mirror running the length of the wall and hides her head. She begins coughing violently. The gas envelopes her as her eyes water. She cannot see her lover or anything else…the red consumes the entire room…

* * *

_

Allison shot up in bed, a cold sweat dripping down her face. She looked around. It was her attic room. Thank god. The small yet comfortable space was welcoming. This was the third bad dream this month, the first month of the school year. They all seemed to include the same elements…the same boy and girl…the mirror, the red smoke…

Allison shook her head and flipped on her light. Her room in the attic was nice and small, Allison liked it being small and sure. She reached under her bedside table and extracted a small notebook labeled "Dream Diary." She flipped to the ninth page and grabbed a pen from under her bed. She began scribbling down in her chicken-scratch handwriting:

**Tonight was the most intense dream yet. Again, red smoke made the girl disappear as she leaned up against a mirror. This time it was caused by a bad science project. Again the boy was a screw-off and the girl was a pretty yet nerdy olive-skinned girl. Woke up in a cold sweat as usual. **

Allison thumbed through the past few pages in her dream notebook and read the 2 most recent entries before tonight:

**I had a strange dream tonight. A Greek-colored girl and a boy with long silky brown hair were in the cafeteria when a fire broke out. The lights went to black and the boy and girl were separated. The girl was suffocating under a carpet of red gas. She disappeared after banging on a mirrored window in an attempt to escape.**

A week later…

**I had another nightmare. The same Greek girl and long-haired boy were in gym class. The girl hurled a basketball at the boy, who fell against a door, which opened, and the same red gas flowed out. The girl's purse fell to the floor, and a handheld mirror slipped under her hand. She broke the mirror and blood from her finger dripped. Then the gas enveloped her. **

Allison shuddered. These all meant something. Allison thought maybe her prescription needed changing. This was more basketcase-like than she'd ever been before. She shrugged and flipped off the light and buried herself under the covers again.

* * *

The lunch line stretched out the door of the cafeteria. Claire sat at the round table for 6 in the corner with Allison, waiting for Andy and Bender to come sit down. Brian had said he needed to finish a report in the library, and was thusly skipping lunch. Allison had been quiet all morning. The third dream was replaying over in her head hundreds of times. It was like she'd been warped into a horror movie, only there was no Freddy Kruger or birds pecking at peoples' flesh. Instead, it was the olive-skinned girl and the long-haired boy. Claire was reapplying some mascara and talking to Allison, although her words were directed at the air.

"So my dad finally got the balls he's been waiting to grow all his life and signed the last page making the divorce official. I can't WAIT until the custody battles begin, or course, but…Allison? You okay?"

"Hm?" Allison didn't look up. Claire smirked. She didn't know how she'd managed to overlook Allison Reynolds before. She was anything BUT easy to ignore.

"You're distracted again," said Claire.

"I couldn't sleep," answered Allison.

"AGAIN? That's the third time you said that this month!" said Claire. Allison drowned out Claire's words as she saw the red gas float before her eyes one more time.

Allison saw two pairs of shoes approach the table. One was a ratty pair of rain boots, the other a glistening pair of white sneakers. The sneakers moved to her side of the table, and Allison felt an arm go around her shoulder. The rain boots sat across from her. Allison finally looked up. Bender was giving her a look of confusion. He still didn't get her sometimes. Andy was smiling his sweet smile at her. Allison loved his boyish smile.

"You okay, Ali?" asked Andy.

"Insomnia again," Allison replied. Andy nodded in understanding and kissed Allison's forehead. Bender began talking to the group.

"I'm hijacking my mom's old Vista Cruiser and heading up into the hills for a weekend getaway if you all wanted to come. I did it a lot this summer when Claire was spending all her time in her mom's lawyer's office and you guys were busy, and I felt so hyped up after, just like sniffing up a new can of spray paint! You comin' or what?" said Bender.

"Where'll we sleep?" asked Andy.

"You can bring a tent while me and Claire'll be keepin' the car all warmed up!" said Bender smugly.

"You're disgusting!" Claire said playfully. Bender laughed as she punched his shoulder with her bony fist. Andy smiled at Allison.

"You wanna go?" asked Andy. Allison nodded slightly. Andy turned to Bender. "We're in!"

Allison looked at Bender, directly in the eye. Something about the gleam in them triggered another one of her random and painful headaches. Allison slumped forward.

"Ah!" she moaned.

Andy huddled around his girlfriend. "Ali? You okay?" asked Andy.

"I need to use the bathroom, my head's throbbing!" Allison stood up and rushed out of the cafeteria, Andy following close by in case she needed help or something. She rushed into the bathroom and leaned over a sink. The bathroom was deserted. Allison turned on the water and splashed her face twice with waves of cold water. Her headache didn't fade a bit. But as she cupped a third bit of water, her pangs of pain melted away. Allison looked up into the mirror straight ahead of her.

In the mirror behind Allison's reflection was that of a girl very similar to the Greek girl from her nightmares. She stood an inch or two shorter than Allison. Her jet black hair was VERY long, knee-length, stringy and unruly, but not without an odd air of elegance. Her black eyes struck Allison as she suddenly felt cold. The girl was dressed in a loose peasant dress that flowed like the wind. She looked about Allison's age, if not younger. Allison shivered and whipped her head around. No one was there. She turned back to the mirror, and the girl was right up against the mirror now. Was the girl INSIDE the mirror?

Now the mysterious girl was placing her palm against the mirror with pleading eyes. She mouthed a single word: "help."

Allison screamed and backed out of the restroom straight into Andy's arms.

"Allison! What's wrong?"

Allison blinked. Her headache was gone. She wasn't cold anymore. She felt as healthy as she normally did, if not a little dazed.

"I'm okay, let's just go back to lunch…"

And with those words, Andy and Allison walked back towards the cafeteria.


	2. Girl in the Mirror

_**Author's Note: **WILL NO ONE REVIEW ME?!?!?! Plz, i need tips/praise!! I'm a VERY sensitive soul!!!_

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After school, Allison (inspired partially by Andy) had taken up an after-school activity. Her Advanced Placement Art teacher had highly recommended tech crew for Shermer's fall play of Shakespeare's _Othello._ Allison, despite never having done this before, was given the highly sought after job of head set designer and was also put on the running crew for the actual show. Bender and Andy were both doing things on the crew too, but they were building things for the play. Bender was doing it because the Principal had offered it to him as a deal in exchange for a Saturday detention. Andy's dad had noticed he's lost a bit of strength over the summer, so during the off-season Andy's dad kept him busy doing other "manly things." Claire would sometimes visit, and Brian too. Claire had a part in said play (Allison asked her too, she thought Claire had it in her to act a bit) as Emilia, so more often than not she was in the band room at rehearsal.

That particular day Allison was working on the bedroom for the last scene. She was painting a bedpost to look like polished oak, while Bender helped put together the back wall, and Andy was fixing a problem in the front curtain. Allison still wore her beautiful black sometimes, and today was one of those days. In running crew, you had to, so it wasn't a problem.

Today, however, she couldn't concentrate. She'd been shaken up ever since the incident in the bathroom. Allison knew she was somewhat odd before, but for some reason now she was seeing ghosts in the mirror? Why did the ghost ask her for help? Why was she trapped in the mirror?

"Hey Allison!" called another member of the art crew. "I left a bucket of burned sienna on the ladder, can u get it for me, I'm all tied up in this cord! Thanks!" Allison nodded. She looked up. The ladder was tall, not just as high as your average ladder, but this one nearly reached the top of the fly-space. Allison wasn't afraid of heights, but no one was holding the ladder under her.

"Bender?" Allison called. Bender came after finishing with the miter saw (he loved power tools).

"Yeah? Need me?" he asked. Allison smelled marijuana on him…not again.

"Can you hold the ladder for me for a minute?" Bender didn't say anything. He gripped the ladder instead.

"Times' a wasting!" he said. Allison nodded in gratitude and Allison began to climb. She climbed for about a minute when Bender gave a whoop, "Whoa! What a view!" Allison realized Bender was looking up her skirt. Pervert.

Andy called from across the stage, "Eyes down, Bender, or you'll be eating your eyeballs!" Allison loved it when Andy would yell to protect her. Bender rolled his eyes in annoyance, but Allison noticed he didn't look up anymore. She snickered and kept on climbing.

Upon reaching the top, Allison climbed from the ladder onto a platform that dangled from the ceiling. The bucket of paint was at the opposite edge. She grabbed it and started for the ladder.

Suddenly, she felt another headache. This time it was like an icicle had stabbed her in the back of the head. It felt like a cold gust was sweeping her off her feet, and she was seeing in shades, not full colors. Allison screamed. A voice echoed in her ear:

_Help…help…_

Allison passed out right there on the platform. She fell clear over the side and began tumbling toward the ground. People gasped and ran to try and catch her. Bender was the one who managed to catch her safely in his arm. Allison came to a bit.

"Wha—?" was all she could say. Then she emitted one of her signature squeaks of distress. Andy was the last one to run to her.

"Ali! Oh man, what happened?" he asked. Bender slowly eased Allison to her feet. Andy nodded in gratitude to Bender. "You're going down to the nurse."

"She leaves after school!" said Allison. "She isn't there!"

"So? She leaves her room unlocked for the janitors, come on," Andy told Allison to lean on him, which she did. Allison sucked in Andy's deodorant, which smelled absolutely wonderful. It was like sucking in laughing gas. Pleasant, and it makes you dizzy. Her headache came back as she passed the same bathroom in which she had that run-in with the mirror girl. Once she passed it, her headache dissipated. Allison stopped and looked back at the bathroom.

This was insane. Even for her.

* * *

Andy lied Allison down on a cot in the nurses' office and went to find a cup of cold water. Allison tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together in her head. But some things were missing. What the hell was going on? That was her first question, basic as it was. Allison got up, spotting a mirror on the far wall of the office. She slowly made her way over. No one was in this mirror. Allison was confused. Why wouldn't the girl appear in this mirror? Allison tapped her index finger on the glass and drew a circle in the lower right corner. Suddenly…there she was. It was as if the finger tap had summoned the girl. She was right next to Allison in the mirror. She looked relatively harmless. She even smiled a tender smile at Allison. Then she mouthed "help," again. This time, Allison shrugged. 

"I can't! I don't know how!" she mouthed back. The girl pressed her palms against the glass.

"Please?" she mouthed.

Allison shook her head. She stepped back towards the cot. Once lying down, she sat up and looked again at the mirror. The girl was still staring at her, palms on the glass. The girl looked sad and lonely. Allison could feel that.

Suddenly, the image of the girl disappeared again as Andy came back with a paper cup filled with ice water. Allison's headache came back and she moaned.

"Come on, Ali. Drink this," Andy gave Allison the cup and propped up the pillow so she could drink. Allison took a sip and winced. The cold liquid didn't fall down her throat as smoothly as usual.

"I think I'm getting sick," Allison said. Andy nodded.

"I'd get a thermometer, but the nurse's medicine cabinet is locked. Probably figured Bender would sneak in," said Andy. Allison giggled. Andy's smile turned serious again. "You need me to walk home with you? Your parents won't be picking you up?"

"No, they're both busy, as usual." Allison's parents ran a dental office at home, the office on the bottom floor, their rooms above. They were one of 2 offices for a 40,000-plus town of people, so they were constantly busy. That's why they ignored Allison.

"I'll take you home and settle you in, if you're getting the flu or something," said Andy. Allison nodded.

"I'd like that," she said. Andy ran his warm palm across Allison's freezing forehead and helped her to her feet. A pair of eyes followed them as they walked out of the room…


	3. Shards and Dust

Andy, true to his word, walked Allison home, made her a bed out of the sofa, and made sure she was alright before he left to go back to school. Allison hoped the ghost girl wouldn't follow her home. She was shivering the entire way. Andy made Allison lie down on the sofa and laid a quilt over her.

"You'd better stay home tomorrow. I'll check up on you after school. Need me to call your doctor?" asked Andy.

"No." said Allison.

"You need anything else?" asked Andy, looking down into her eyes, which seemed to shiver along with the rest of her. The faint sound of a dental drill was tolling downstairs.

"I…thanks," was all Allison said.

"You look like you've seen a ghost. Call me if you need anything, ok?" said Andy. Allison laughed nervously. He had NO idea.

Andy bent down and kissed Allison slowly and softly. Allison felt more shivers, but then again, she always felt shivers when she kissed Andy. Andy caressed her cheek and left her alone. Allison fell asleep before long.

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_The boy wanders down the long, boundless hallway. No one is there. He is alone. Suddenly, the girl rounds a corner, a load of dusty books in her hand. The boy runs to her and asks if she needs help. The girl nods eagerly. They wander off down the endless passageway. They reach the top of a long staircase and begin to descend. The girl's long skirt suddenly gets caught on the spiked railing, and the girl is sent hurdling down the stairs. The boy keeps his footing and chases after her. The dust from the books flies into a whirlwind of red puff. The boy cannot see. It's dark. He is alone again. _

_He reaches the end of the stairwell, and the girl is gone. All that remains is the shards of a broken mirror in her wake. Shards and dust.

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_

Allison shot up breathing heavily. The clock on the wall read 10:30 PM. It'd been 7 hours since Andy tucked her in. Her parents were in bed. Allison felt her head burst out in sharp pangs again. She made her way to the bathroom, pulled out a bottle of aspirin and took 2 of the chalky white pills. She looked in the mirror and made the circle in the lower right corner. Nothing. She tried again. Nothing. Whoever…WHATEVER the girl was, she could only appear in the school. Allison's headache subsided.

Allison knew what she had to do. Tomorrow, she was going to school and she was confronting the girl in the mirror once and for all.

* * *

Allison walked into school the next morning like usual. Andy had advised her to see her doctor instead of coming to school, but she had to make sure she really wasn't hallucinating and the girl in the mirror was just an in figment of her imagination. She hoped a good night's sleep would cure her visions. As soon as she stepped into Shermer High, her headache came back. This one was brutal. She could barely see straight. Nevertheless, Allison made her way into the nearest girls' bathroom. Again, it was completely vacant. She made her way to the mirror. Her head was pounding so hard, it was excruciating. She saw nothing in the mirror. She drew the circle in the lower right corner like before. Allison's headache subsided as the Greek girl appeared again. So, Allison's "good night's sleep" theory was for shit. The girl smiled at Allison. Allison began shaking.

"What do you want with me? Leave me alone!" Allison said, trying to sound threatening. The girl looked offended and shook her head as if to say "calm down."

"Help," the girl mouthed. Allison thought helping the ghostly girl would end this strange nightmare. But how? Did the girl want out of the mirror? How could she possibly free her? Break the mirror?

"How?" whispered Allison. The girl pressed her palms up against the glass. Allison thought a moment and followed suit, putting her own palms up against the girl's. The girl smiled. Allison suddenly didn't feel the cold glass, but flesh. Not warm flesh, but flesh all the same. She had penetrated the mirror. A willowy olive hand wrapped its' fingers around Allison's as she stepped back. As if in a dream, the Greek-looking girl stepped out of the mirror into the real world. She was thin, almost sickly so, clad in white, her long tangled black hair was feathery like a breeze. Her lips were brown and plump. Not at all gorgeous, but there was a mystique about her that mesmerized Allison.

Allison went back to touch the mirror, but it was all glass. What the hell had just happened.

"Your free, now leave me alone!" said Allison, completely confused. The girl shook her head.

"I can't leave you alone," she said. Her voice was interestingly quiet, but not whispery.

"Why not? I set you free from wherever the hell you were! Go home, you're parents are probably worried!" said Allison, turning to leave.

"My parents died last year."

Allison turned around. "Huh?"

"They died last year, in 1958."

Allison looked at the girl. "Um…it's 1984. Not 1958."

"Oh? There's no time through there," said the girl, pointing at the mirror. "You don't age, you just exist."

Allison had to stick a finger in her ear. This girl wasn't real. She couldn't be. She wasn't.

"Who ARE you?" asked Allison.

"Anneliese D'Amato. Class of '60," she replied. "I've been dead for 25 years."

Allison was losing it. This girl, Anneliese D'Amato, really WAS a ghost? Great, Allison was being haunted.

"I'm Allison Reynolds," she introduced herself. Anneliese smiled.

"Call me Anne. I need your help."

"With what?" asked Allison.

"I'm not in heaven or hell because I needed to see my intended true love one more time."

"Intended true love?" Allison wanted to barf. This was such a campfire ghost story.

"Everyone is born with an intended true love, someone who if they marry will be perfectly happy together until death do you part. I knew my intended love, but died before marrying him. I want to see his face one more time, then I promise I will never bother you again."

"Well, let's get out a phonebook and see, eh?" Allison groaned.

"I do not know his name. But I know he is alive and living in this city."

"Fuck. You don't know his name? Damn! How am I supposed to—?" Allison stopped short. Anne looked sad. Allison sighed. She was certainly going to the psyche ward for helping a ghost girl who died before marrying her boyfriend.

"Please?" asked Anne. Allison groaned.

"As long as you see him and get out of here, I still don't believe you exist!" said Allison.

"Fair enough," said Anne. Allison led her about the bathroom door, walking into the real world for the first time in 25 years.


	4. The Ghostess

By the end of the day, Allison had still not fully come to terms that she'd been hired by a ghostess from 1959 to help find her "intentional true love." But Allison did enjoy talking with this Anne girl. She was a loner in school until she met her "true love." She'd forgotten his name because her memory of it was erased when she died. But this girl in desath seemed very lively and almost an alter-ego of Allison. She had a lot of strong opinions about things and seemed fascinated to know what the past quarter-century had been like (she seemed to laugh at the Watergate Scandal, Allison didn't know or WANT to know why). When she apparently refused to enter heaven or hell, she was trapped into the school's mirrors and forced to wander until Fate chose someone to see her to set her free. Apparently, Fate chose Allison to be able to see Anne. Allison had no idea why. This would've made a kick-ass Hitchcock movie.

"I didn't think ghosts were supposed to be real," said Allison.

"Only a few are chosen by Fate to see spirits, and that's when help is needed. You have something in common with me no one else in the world has. Flaunt it. Own it! Having common ground with a ghost girl isn't a daily occurence!" said Anne.

"What's that?" asked Allison.

"We have to find out ourselves!" said Anne. Allison looked at her feet and kept walking.

By last period, Allison was only slightly afraid she was going loony. Anne, seen by no one but Allison, sat near her in all her classes. Allison was careful not to tell anyone about Anne either.

Allison and Anne wandered down the hall together to their last class, when Allison bumped into Andy, who was walking with Bender and Claire (the trio had gym together). Andy looked surprised to see Allison there. Anne stood by.

"You were supposed to be home in bed!" said Andy, scolding her like a father scolds his daughter. Allison stood her ground.

"I took some aspirin and felt better, ok, Dad?" said Allison, smirking. Andy smirked back.

"Ah, as long as you're ok. Coming to tech this afternoon? That is, if you're feeling healthy enough," he asked.

"Yeah, I'm in."

"Want to come over to my place after if your parents are busy again?"

"They will be, so yeah, what are you having for dinner?" asked Allison.

Meanwhile, Anne found herself transfixed to Bender. Who WAS he? She studied the way he held that redheaded girl's hand. Why did she seem to know the gleam in that eye? His feathery hair with that one gray streak in the front. His large nostrils…his height. Anne was hypnotized. His aura blinded her, it gave her deadly chills.

"I'll see you at 3 for tech crew, ok? Take care of yourself!" Andy gave Allison a peck on the lips, then turned to Bender and Claire.

"Get a room!" said Bender jokingly. Anne felt a lightning bolt strike her heart, which stopped beating long ago. That voice melted her ears! Anne was transfixed. When Claire, bender and Andy took off down the hall, Allison turned to Anne, who's eyes were opened as wide as they could be.

"Who was he?" asked Anne, looking like a cow in front of an oncoming train.

"Andy Clark, on the wrestling team," said Allison. Anne nodded, her gaze following Bender down the hall. Of course, Anne was unaware Allison was talking about the short blond boy and not the tall brunette she was referring to. Anne double-blinked. His last name was Clark, he couldn't be who she was so mesmerized by. It didn't sound familiar enough for anything to happen. Her shoulders sank.

"Come on, ghost girl, we'll be late!" said Allison. Anne would be sure to follow Allison to tech crew if Andy Clark would be there.

But who would care what a ghostess thought anyway?

* * *

That afternoon, Allison took Anne to tech crew. By then, Allison was all but unfazed by the fact she had a ghost metaphorically hanging off her. Allison told Anne to be careful, things got dangerous. 

"I'm a ghostess, I'm already dead!' said Anne. Of course, Allison had forgotten. Allison got to work painting a backdrop of a Naval Marina. Anne scanned the room for signs of Andy Clark (really, Bender). She found him working with a blond boy in a letterman's jacket on a ledge up in the fly-space. Anne felt a bond with him even though she'd never met him. Almost a supernatural bond. She wanted a closer look.

Anne closed her eyes tightly and muttered to herself "Make Andy Clark come to me!" The picture of Bender in her head, Anne made the wish.

A loud crack sent the entire tech crew running around. The ledge on which Andy and Bender were working was snapping under their weight. Bender yelled "Jesus Christ!" Andy just yelled.

Anne gasped. She'd misspoken the command. She had forgotten that he needed to be on the ground before bidding Andy Clark over to her. But why were both sides of the ledge cracking? If the spell had been true, only Andy's side would have collapsed. The blonde boy would have been safe. Wishes were extremely specific. She was confused.

Andy's weight training paid off, and he was able to hang on. Bender was slowly slipping. Anne panicked. Allison ran to Andy.

"Hold on! Andy hold on!" she called.

_Yes, hold on Andy! I want no harm brought to you! _Anne whispered to herself, staring up at Bender. Anne quickly muttered something else under her breath. "Bring them both to the ground safely!"

No sooner were the words spoken then Bender's hand slipped and the ledge gave way. Andy and Bender fell the 50 or so feet into a hamper of old backdrops Allison had quick-mindedly placed under them. They were shaken, but overall unharmed. Anne sighed in relief.

Meanwhile, Allison didn't know what came over her. One minute she was calling out for Andy, then, almost involuntarily, she found a hamper of mangled cloth and somehow managed to place it under the boys as they fell that huge drop. Allison didn't even remember seeing the hamper 2 minutes ago. Odd.

Andy climbed out of the basket, visibly shaken. "What in God's name was that?!" he exclaimed.

Anne felt guilty. The blond boy was visually upset. Andy, however, was acting much cooler about the whole thing.

"I always wanted to fly," he mentioned after regaining composure after a few seconds. Two girls started giggling from across the stage. "Peter Pan over here had the tights, the hair, now he's got the wings!" he said, pointing to the blond boy. Several people laughed. The blond boy blushed. Anne had to laugh too. Andy had a way with words.

Both boys were alright. The director, nearly having tons of paperwork to be done, wanted everyone to stay safe. The rest of the tech session was cancelled due to the fact that without the platform, the lights couldn't be finished. Allison found Anne sitting in the front row.

"I'm going to go eat with my boyfriend. Does it matter that you can't come?" asked Allison. Anne shrugged.

"I have an activity planned for the evening myself," said Anne, looking wistfully at Bender. "But I must be in your presence again at midnight or else we both will end up trapped behind a mirror."

"Why me?" asked Allison.

"You and I are bonded now. If I'm imprisoned, then by the laws of nature, so are you. So don't go hopping the next train to Chcago, ok?"

Nature?! A loudmouthed ghostess talking face-to-face with Allison Reynolds was ANYTHING but natural!

Allison nodded. What a day!


	5. My Romeo

Allison liked getting away from her own life and visiting Andy's house. It was like stepping into another universe. Allison's house was tense, lonely, and boring. Andy's house was something you'd find in a comedy sketch. Lighthearted jokes, the blowhard dad who always had a short fuse, and plenty of attention for everyone awaited Allison when she stepped into the nice Tudor home Andy lived in.

That particular evening, as a slow, cool drizzle fell outside, Allison could smell the welcoming aroma of slow-roasted chicken. Andy's mom was the June Cleaver of Shermer. Allison loved every morsel of Kitty Clark's cooking. She loved everything about going to Andy's house. The atmosphere, the food, the laughing. Andy and Allison fell into kind of a routine when they visited Andy's house. Dinner, talking with Andy's parents and older sister (Pam), then they'd go up to Andy's room for awhile. But though most couples would take advantage of the time b y taking off clothes, Andy and Allison always felt too awkward to make out, so they'd turn up his stereo and just talk. Bender would always make fun of them because they'd been in a relationship since spring and never went past first base. Allison was a slow mover, but Andy didn't seem to mind. Tonight's intention was to get her mind off the whole ghost story unraveling before her eyes. Maybe after emerging from Andy's house, she'd realize she'd been hallucinating all this time and "Anneliese" was merely an illusion with a voice.

Andy pulled out a chair for Allison next to him at the dinner table. Andrew Clark Senior peered out from behind his newspaper. "Pretty soon you're gonna be dependent on us, Allison! Have you not heard of Popeye's?"

Allison snickered. Andy's father always seemed cold and unfeeling, but he was only playing around. After a few beers (he was already half-done drinking one) he'd loosen up and become like your favorite uncle at a Christmas party. Kitty Clark was at the stove, heating up some gravy in a pan. She turned when Andrew Sr. mentioned Allison.

"Hello, dear! It's getting chilly out. Would you like some hot cocoa with your meal?"

Allison shook her head. "Do you have any tea?"

"Green, Earl Grey, or White?"

"Earl Grey," decided Allison.

"Milk or sugar?"

"Sugar please," said Allison. Kitty smiled sweetly. Now all she had to do was wait for Andy's older sister, Pam. Pam was an interesting character, if not annoying. Two years older than Andy, Pam had flunked out of college as a freshman and was a fairly mean whore. She had more "boyfriends" than Bender had "girlfriends" and she always had "job applications" that her boys would always need to come up to her room to help her on. And while Andy Jr. and Kitty saw through her disguise, Andy Sr. didn't. Allison found her annoying.

Pam came waddling down the stairs within a few minutes. She was very pretty, but once she opened her mouth, you'd wish you'd never laid eyes on her. She was rude, manner-less, and she just didn't give a damn. She took after her father, whereas Andy Jr. was more concerned and generous like Kitty.

"Ugh, is the insane asylum escapee eating here again?" Pam moaned as she took as seat opposite from her father. "I'd have thought you'd be back in the coo-coo hut by now."

"Go eat shit, Pam!" barked Andy.

"Hey! Watch your tongue, young man! There are ladies in the room!" said Andy Sr. Andy sank back and looked at Allison. Allison had decided to ignore Pam. She wasn't worth the time. Somehow, Anne had managed to stay in Allison's mind, and she kept inhaling the sweet aromas around her like nitrous oxide…maybe it could but thoughts of the ghostess to sleep.

Kitty broke up the world-be argument by placing the huge chicken in the center of the table, all carved and ready to eat. Andy Sr. immediately took a huge chunk of dark meat in plopped it on his own plate. Then he took another…and another…

Kitty cleared her throat. "Darling, maybe Allison would like some dark meat?"

Allison shook her head. "Actually, I like the wings." But Andy Sr. had already taken one. Allison managed to grab the other before Andy Sr. got his fattened hand on it. Andy Jr. grinned. What reflexes! Andy Sr. seemed unabashed, but he stopped hogging the meat and let everyone else have some.

The meal ended before Allison knew it. Pam went "out" (it was all she would say), and Andy Sr. had his beer and newspaper. Kitty asked if she could make cookies for Allison to take home. "Such a shame to not have any home-cooked meals!"

Allison nodded. "My mom will leave me leftovers, but yeah, we NEVER have cookies!" Kitty nodded and got out the cookie sheets while Andy took Allison up to his room. Andy's room was what anyone would expect of a jock. Newspaper clippings from the sport section were practically the wallpaper of the far wall. The rest of the room was baby blue, like the school colors. Andy's letterman's jacket was sprawled out on a chair in the corner.

Andy shut to door behind him. Allison sat on the edge of Andy's bed. Her lips were dry, so she began licking them. Andy sat down next to Allison. He'd forgotten to turn on the stereo.

"Sorry about my sister pulling that old condom out from under your seat, that was gross," Andy apologized. Allison continued licking her lips. Andy began to notice.

"It's okay."

Andy continued focusing on her lips. Allison continued licking them. Andy suddenly leaned in for a kiss. Allison kissed him back. Soon, Allison and Andy got carried away as they fell off the bed and begun wildly making out on the floor. Time was lost.

* * *

At the exact same time, Anne stalked Bender (who she still thought was Andy) around town. She was surprised he didn't immediately go home. He simply walked around on the sidewalks downtown for hours, only stopping for a cigarette or to get a pack of gum. Anne was always 3 steps behind him. Oh, how good it felt to be in the real world again! Shermer had changed so much since she'd been alive. But she wished Andy could see her. That was one wish she couldn't make happen. She couldn't wish for death, to go back in time, for money, or to be seen by anyone other than her host and helper (namely, Allison). It was 8:00, she had plenty of time before having to get back within the sight of Allison. If they both were trapped in a mirror, neither of them could escape, and both their chances of happiness would be destroyed. Typical, she had a curfew even after being dead. The life of Anneliese D'Amato! 

Anne loved the mist that fell that evening. It was romantic, soft, it made Andy's hair shimmer when he walked under a streetlamp. It was odd how the rain fell right through her. But still, Anne stalked Bender/Andy like a hawk. She still didn't get what was so magnetic about him. Something was, however. She knew that much. But Andy couldn't be her true love. He was to young and "Clark" didn't ring a bell in her head. Once she heard a last name that sounded familiar, she'd immediately have her answer.

Bender finally went inside a building. Anne followed him inside, hoping it wasn't a mirror shop. It was a restaurant/bar with the glowing neon sign flashing "Barbie's Grill and Bar." Anne remembered that place from the '50's. It used to be a sleazy bar where all the drunks went regularily. What did Andy want in here? Anne wondered. Inside, the lighting was dim and in shades of red. The air smelled of ribs and beef. Soft music played in the air, a pop-type song Anne was unfamiliar with_…_she could tell the vice was female, and kept going ":Romeo, Oh!" and stuff like that. Anne found this kind of music infectious, yet kind of annoying. Her feet started walking to a beat as she finally found Bender in the crowd of waitresses and diners. She didn't want to start dancing, though. God knows the Hand Jive was past it's prime by now.

Bender/Andy stopped. Anne was about 5 feet away by this time. There was the girl. The redheaded girl with short hair and a thin figure from before. She wore the waitress uniform. Anne stopped short. Why did Andy look at this girl that way? She'd thought/hoped she was his sister!

"Hey Claire. Almost done?" asked Bender. He was amazed Claire had gone through with the job. She had said she wanted to be more independent. And so she was.

"My shift end in five. Wait for me?"

"I'll walk you home."

"Thanks babe!"

Babe? Anne blinked back a tear. Claire and Andy were leaning into each other. THEN they kissed. Anne let out a small cry of disgust. Stupid PDA people. No respect. None --sniff-- at all.

Anne had to step outside. So, Andy had a lady already. Why hadn't she seen this coming?


	6. A West Wind

Grimacing at the sight of "her Andy" with another woman, Anne fumed as she headed back inside after a moment. Her skin turned red. Anne felt like she'd wandered in vain. True, the entire time he wasn't her intended true love, but Anne felt like her was. His tall robust frame was stunning, his gorgeous eyes were piercing, and his hair was what made him seem familiar. His voice made Anne's ears melt. Her unexplainable magnetic affection for a complete stranger had made her forget why she was here. To find her intended true love, kiss him, and be set free from the mirror's curse forever. Anne was a prisoner. Allison would no longer be her mistress, and while she wouldn't be able to go to heaven or hell, she no longer would have to worry about being leaning on a mirror and falling in. She'd be free to explore the world and the universe (ghosts didn't have to worry about breathing!). She could travel back in time and possibly be able to relive her last day so that she wouldn't have gotten in that car…

Anne, however, was not thinking of all this right now. Instead she got Bender's picture into her head and muttered, " May Andy Clark do something embarrassing in front of his girlfriend right now!"

* * *

"Andy! What the hell?" Allison suddenly sat up, drenched in soda. Andy had bumped his head against the bedside table, knocking over the full can of soda right onto Allison's head. She was sticky and smelly. Andy shot up and turned beet red. 

"I'm so sorry, Ali!" he apologized. Pam came in the room.

"Smooth move, sport-o!" she laughed.

"Hey, what happened to your 'meeting'?" asked Andy.

"He's coming over here, get over it," Pam said as she turned and left. Andy rolled his eyes and turned to Allison.

"You can use my shower if you want," he offered. Allison nodded and got up. Suddenly, she didn't care about the soda. Andy grinned at her. Allison grinned back. They leapt onto each other and continued their make-out session.

Allison forgot every ounce of that day or Anne, or the fact it was already 10:50.

* * *

So, the wish hadn't worked. Anne wondered how Andy had managed to NOT get laughed at for making Claire trip, which brought him tumbling down, right onto the floor. Instead, people rushed to help them. Backfire. Anne sulked and moaned in frustration. Claire and Bender were now hand-in-hand walking back to his house. Anne, of course, followed. Anne wanted to wish something bad for Claire, but she was afraid of more backfire. Instead she walked 10 feet behind the pair. Maybe once she were back at her Andy's house, she could find a reason why he was so randomly attractive to her. Anne could barely stand Claire holding her Andy's hand. 

Anne followed every twist and turn they made until they came upon a one-level house that looked like it was 150 years old. Anne could have sworn that she knew this house. Andy and Claire started walking up the steps. Anne began sweating in anticipation, something inside her head was going crazy as Andy began to open the door. Talk about an obsession!

From a few streets down, a bell began to chime. Anne's attention was averted to the small clock tower (Shermer's pride) barely visible in the night sky. It was 11:30. Anne gasped. Time was extremely low. She had to find Allison quickly.

Anne began running down the street. Fuck. She wishes she could fly. But surprisingly, a normal ghostess like Anne couldn't fly. Only ghosts from heaven or hell could beat the laws of nature and fly. Anne was an earth ghostess.

"I swear, when I'm free I'm gonna give the guy who invented gravity a piece of my mind!" Anne mumbled under her breath.

She didn't know where Allison was. Maybe she could meet her back at the school…

* * *

Allison shot up again as she heard Shermer's clock tower chime 11:30. Time was up. 30 minutes and she'd be a mirror ghost along with Anne. She stood up. 

"I have to leave. See you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?" Andy was deliriously happy. Allison was a good kisser. "Don't go, stay the whole night!"

"I have curfew!"

"I thought your parents wouldn't care?"

"They lock the doors at midnight and go to bed!"

"Midnight, that's a ½ hour away!"

Allison ran down stairs and out the door. "See you tomorrow, Andy!"

Andy was left sitting there in his bedroom. Allison sure left in a hurry…

* * *

Where the hell could Anne be? Allison thought on her feet as she ran. What was life like in a mirror? Did people speak backwards? Walk backwards? Did people read in reverse? Allison decided to run to the school. Anne might think she would be there. It was her only chance (and choice). She had to be sure it's was the choice to go with. One screw-up and Allison was a ghostess. Allison decided she had no time to think and hopped on a motorbus passing by going the right way. It was better than running. Shermer High was across town from where she was. The motor bus could get her there just in time. 

Meanwhile, Anne ran like the wind. If there WAS a wind tonight, it could carry her to the school faster. Anne wasn't exactly and aerodynamic person. Her huge and long hair, not to mention her long flowing white dress didn't help her case. Why did she have to dress in her biggest and best dress the night she died? Couldn't have been jeans or a simple t shirt! Anne kept running around. She wished she hadn't lost track of time. She also wished she could wish herself to the school (another earth ghost prohibition). Instead, she wished she was an even faster runner. Her swift feet suddenly went faster. Anne caught sight of a clock nearby…ten minutes until midnight! Anne squinted her eyes and wished for a wind. A minute later, a swift westerly wind blew in, and Anne grinned as she grew even faster. She was a mile away from the school with 9 minutes until it would all be over…

Allison arrived at the school first. One minute to go. Shit. Maybe Anne wouldn't have wanted to meet there anyway. But there was no where else she could go. All Allison had to do now was close her eyes and wait. If within the next 45 seconds she found herself behind a glass wall, she knew Anne hadn't found her. Allison tensed her body, tucked her chin in, and breathed heavily, waiting.

15 seconds to go, and Anne had made it to the school. The back of the school that is. Anne had literally no time to run to the front of the building. She quickly ran with the wind around the gym. With 5 seconds to go, Anne found Allison sitting there, looking like she was sleeping. Allison had to lay eyes on Anne or else it wasn't legit. Anne yelled, "ALLISON! LOOK WEST! QUICK!"

Allison's head popped out and looked to where Anne stood. At that very moment, the Shermer clock chimed midnight. Nothing happened. They were safe. Both girls sighed at the same time.

"That was close," said Anne. Allison just nodded. "Eat your heart out, Father Time!"

"I'm tired. Let's just get to my house, ok?" Allison suggested.

"I'm not tired. Ghosts don't sleep." It was true. Anne smiled at Allison.

Allison nodded uneasily. Both girls headed in the direction of Allison's house to settle down for the night.


	7. The Fifth Dream

_"Shermer High School's Junior Prom: 1959!" is what the banner reads above the gym. Couples dance gaily on the floor, the men are in informal tuxedos, the girls are in long and whirly dressed in solid colors of all types. A bubbly doo-wop song plays as the couples dance. One girl stands out; despite the fact that almost no one knows who she is. She is in a pure white gown slit scandalously up the thigh, and her skirt seems to billow out twice as far as anyone else's when she spins in the arms of her date. Her delicate frame would otherwise be long amongst the hundreds of girls dancing around her and her boyfriend. Suddenly, the main couple stops. _

_"Let's get out of here!" says the boy. The pretty girl nods happily. They slowly exit the gym and make their way out to the boy's car, rust bucket of a car, but a car just the same. The boy helps his lady into the passenger seat, then he himself gets in and they drive off. It's a tranquil night out. _

_Suddenly, a car with a drunk man in the front veers into the wrong lane. The girl screams as the boy tries to maneuver his way around. But he can't. He ends up driving into the back of the school the couple had just left minutes ago. The brick wall crashes in around them. Red dust clouds up the boy's vision from the bricks that he has destroyed. The gym is a separate building, so no one is hurt. No one that is…except the girl. The boy, who has miraculously survived the crash cannot find her anywhere. The only evidence among the red cloud of wreckage is her lily white corsage, which he finds under a pile of broken mirrors.

* * *

_

For the fifth night, Allison shot up in bed, her head aching and another red-cloud dream stuck in her head. Allison looked around. Anne was in a corner, looking out the window. Wait a minute, if Anne's free now, what's with all the dreams?

"You liar!" said Allison. Anne looked over.

"What did I say?" asked Anne. "I TOLD you I don't do sleeping spells! I'm not a witch!"

Allison rolled her eyes…her head throbbed more. "I thought when I got you out of the mirror, my headaches would stop and so would the crazy dreams!"

"I never said anything about your headaches. When I find my true love, I'm not the ONLY one who will be set free!" Anne smirked. She thought Allison had read the fine print. "As for the dreams, THAT one wasn't crazy!"

"What do you mean?" asked Allison. Anne sighed and looked at the floor.

"That one really happened to me. The others were fabrications, but now that I'm here with you, the one you just had was truthful, the reason I'm not alive right now," Anne said with little shown emotion, as if she'd told the story 100 times. "It explains the stupid prom dress I'm in too. Why couldn't I have died in a pair of sweatpants I'll never know!"

Allison was awed. So, the girl in the dream WAS Anne. Which meant…the BOY in the dreams was her true love!

"Anne, who was the boy in my dream with you?" she asked quickly.

"You never see his face."

True. He'd always had his back turned or his face was blurry.

"Sorry, nice try. But dream diaries don't solve THIS problem!" said Anne. Allison grunted. "Why don't you try going back to sleep?"

"Can you TRY to get rid of this headache for me?"

"I don't know how to do that. I can make them less frequent!" said Anne.

"How?" asked Allison. Anne started mumbling to herself something Allison couldn't hear.

"There!" said Anne proudly. "I made it so you will only get headaches from now on if trouble is coming!" Allison was relieved as her headache now slowly faded. No trouble now.

"Great, now can I get back to sleep?"

"I'll try and make sure I don't invade your dreams again, go ahead!" said Anne. Allison sighed and turned over in her bed. But she didn't go to sleep just yet.

"Anne?" asked Allison.

"Yes?" asked Anne.

"Is there a time limit on this mission of yours?" Allison asked.

"Not technically. Most preferably before the end of my true love's life, that's a given. But if he dies before I find him, I technically will have him again. But I won't be free. I will have to stay in Shermer Illinois until the end of the world."

"What's so bad about that?" asked Allison.

"Imagine staying in a single town, not being able to explore the rest of the universe! Would YOU want that?" asked Anne.

"I guess not." Allison yawned and fell asleep again. Anne smiled at her mistress and went back to staring out the window, her Andy's image in her head the entire night.

* * *

The next afternoon at tech crew, everyone was made to do their work safely on the ground. Again, Anne hung around an unsuspecting Bender. Andy worked alongside him. Even if she couldn't make herself visible to him, she wanted to toy with his mind a little bit. Might as well have some fun! But she was still confused. Why did everything she wished on Andy affect the blonde boy too? Were they blood brothers? No, they looked nothing alike. 

Anne closed her eyes, got Bender's image in her mind, and muttered "Make Andy Clark have a fetish for Greek girls!"

Suddenly, both boys' heads popped up, and at the same instant, the both said to the other, "You know Greek girls seem to be hotter than other girls!" Then they looked oddly at each other.

Bender spoke. "This moment never happened."

Andy nodded in return. "Gotcha."

Anne cursed under her breath. Spells could only work on one person at a time! As long as the image in the head matched the words…

Wait a minute. Wait a fucking minute. The words! Anne thought long and hard for a moment. Had she been pursuing the wrong guy? No! It couldn't be! But it could…

Meanwhile, Claire had come to visit with Allison while she took a quick break. They talked casually as two stronger boys lowered a 10-foot steel I beam horizontally from the ceiling. That redheaded girl Anne hated so much. Anne had to find out who the one she called "Andy Clark" actually was. Andy Clark was the blonde boy Allison liked. The tall long haired one wasn't a Clark after all. Anne ran over to where she'd seen Bender drop his knapsack. She found his wallet in the lower left pocket. Thumbing through all the pictures of Claire and his friends, Anne couldn't believe her eyes when she came to his drivers' license. John Bender.

No. It couldn't be. The name…Bender. Anne couldn't believe her eyes. This was him! No, it couldn't be him! Could it be his father? Or maybe—

"OW!" Allison yelped. Her head started throbbing worse than it ever had before. Wasn't that supposed to mean something now? But her head hurt to much to even think...

Anne suddenly stood up tall. This whole time Allison lied to her. She lied to her about Andy—Bender! She'd been attracted to this boy for a damn good reason all along, and yet she was so confused, so bewildered! Allison knew all along! And that Claire girl! This must have happened with her true love, because if Anne's calculations were correct, her one true love was married, and therefore…Claire, and Allison, and…oh god, Anne was so tormented! She let out a huge scream. Only Allison turned.

Anne was so pissed. Betrayed by the one who set her free. Anne, without thinking, muttered under her breath, "Let the I-beam fall on them!" As soon as she spoke the words, she slapped her mouth shut. What the hell had she just done?

The ropes holding the I-beam began snapping. Allison and Claire were right below. Anne began running at the girls. This was not good.

At the same time, Bender and Andy noticed the falling I-beam. All within 3 seconds, the I-beam was loose and falling, Anne tried to warn Allison, but her screams only blended with the sharp cracking sounds of the ropes. Allison and Claire were like deer in headlights, they couldn't move. Anne ran closer. Bender and Andy leapt at the girls. Andy shoved Allison while Bender pushed Claire. The girls went rolling out of harms way, and the I-beam fell with a huge, sickening "THUD!"

Allison and Claire were lying on the floor in shock. The other techies were too wide-eyed and afraid to move (one guy finally ran out to a nearby pay phone to call an ambulance). Only Anne was mobile, running to the fallen I-beam where Andy and Bender were trapped under, unconscious. A pool of blood lapped at her knees as she kneeled. Anne caressed Bender's head in her lap as she wept and cursed herself ten times over. Soon sirens and whistles blared as Anne slowly witnessed the next few hours knelt on that stage. Andy and Bender, declared still alive but in bad condition, were rushed to the local hospital. Allison and Claire, almost like two widows, cried and hugged each other as they followed their respective others to the hospital (Allison didn't even recognize Anne was around). Policemen lined the stage with police tape, and within 3 hours, all was cleared out and abandoned. All that was left on the stage was the I-beam, and the little Greek ghostess kneeling where she'd been all along.


	8. Room 289

Allison spent the entire night in the ER waiting room with Claire. Bender's parents didn't show, but for a long time Andy's parents waited with the girls. After a few hours, they dozed in their seats. Bender was just knocked out with a few broken ribs. Andy, however, had required some major surgery on his knee, and a rib punctured his lung. Allison felt Andy would do the same for her if she'd been the injured one. So she and Claire waited. Allison had passing thoughts of Anne and how it grew closer to her midnight curfew, but most of thoughts lied with her ailing boyfriend. At 11:10, Allison finally caught a glimpse of Anne. Her reflection was in a framed photograph on the secretary's desk. But Anne never sat down. She barely checked in.

Anne felt like purposely throwing herself into the mirror. Allison would be rid of her for good then. Anne just had to wait another 25 years for another person chosen by Fate to see her. Not an exciting picture, but still, Anne deserved this. She'd been so pissed off. Only after the two boys where carried away did she realize that it was a misunderstanding between herself and her mistress. Anne had cried hard. Her tears burned right through the stage floor (a ghost's tears were 100 times more acidic than a human's). Anne sighed and perched on top of the small television mounted in the corner. She wanted good news as much as Allison did.

At 2 AM, Bender awoke from his coma and was asking for visitors. Claire and Allison, followed by Anne, went into the room. Bender was hooked up to an IV line, but he had no breathing tube, and other than a few scars on his face, he looked as if nothing had happened.

"Bender? Bender, are you alright?" asked Claire.

"My head kills. Gimme some doobage?" he replied. Allison snorted. Claire shook her head seriously.

"You're going to be here a few days. Do you know what happened?"

"Yeah, I remember pushing you, and then blacking out."

Claire smiled. No signs of amnesia. She gently put her arms around Bender. "I'm so glad you're ok!" Anne grinned momentarily. Her Bender was okay.

"Me too!" Bender looked at Allison. Anne, meanwhile, silently slipped away. "How's Sporto?"

Claire sank her head. "He fared a lot worse, Bender. He's been in the OR for six hours. No news, good or bad." Allison gave a little squeal of agony and lied down in a fetal position on the empty bed next to Bender's bed. Claire shed a single tear for her.

"What a night! One minute I'm sawing wood with Sporto, the next I'm rescuing a damsel in distress, and the next I'm dancing with cross-eyes pink pot leaves in LaLaLand!" Claire giggled. Allison yelped from her bed. She reverted back to her old self. Her socially inept basketcase-like self. Her Andy was in danger of maybe dying down the hall and they were making cracks about LaLaLand! Allison squinted her eyes shut, but kept her mind conscious. She didn't need one of Anne's fucked-up dreams/headache combos to strike now.

She listened in on Claire and Bender talking for a few minutes with her eyes shut tight. Then, she felt a cool, comforting breeze wafting over her. Allison sat up. Anne stood at the end of the bed.

"Room 289. Go there, Allison," said Anne solemnly.

"Why should I?" Allison retorted.

"Room 289, Allison," said Ann in a demanding tone. Allison groaned, got up, and left the room. Anne did not follow. It was one of those times The Living had to be left to themselves.

* * *

Allison wandered around until she found the 200 wing. She found 289 easily. It was marked by a huge double door and a sign above the doorframe reading, "Recovery Room 1." Allison gasped in hope as she went inside. 5-7 gurneys were lined up in a row, each one held a patient waking up from surgery. One gurney in the furthermost corner held her Andy. He was half-conscious and looking around. Allison ran to his side. A nurse was walking toward Andy with a clipboard at the same time. Allison pushed her out of the way rather forcefully. She wanted to be the first woman Andy saw when he woke up.

And so she was. Andy blinked and saw the somewhat blurred yet still unmistakable image of his Allison standing over him. He felt her gloved hand slip over his cold one. He smiled and nodded. His throat was sore for some reason, so he couldn't speak. The silence spoke volumes.

"Thank you. If it weren't for you, I'd be in your place," said Allison. Andy nodded as if to say, "It was nothing." The nurse Allison pushed aside looked flustered as she finally reached Andy's gurney and replaced the IV line and took some stats. After she left, Allison pressed her face softly up against Andy's. The breathing tube in his nose got in the way, but Allison found a way around it. Allison never felt more relieved in her entire life.

* * *

Anne smiled as Andy was wheeled from the Recovery Room to the same room as Bender. Allison was smiling tenderly. Anne felt like her guilt melted away. Allison was happy. Therefore, so was she.

The day broke earlier than usual. All four students and the ghostess decided to skip school (Andy and Bender had no choice, but Allison and Claire chose to stay out). As both boys slowly came to normal, the four students laughed, shared stories, and made fun of teachers. Anne smiled and listened. Occasionally, she'd whisper a few witty words in Allison's ear, and Allison would say these allowed. These jokes Anne made seemed to be accepted with the most laughter.

Towards noon, things had quieted down. Claire and Bender ate lunch, and Andy had fallen asleep after his parents visited for awhile. Anne took Allison aside.

"Ask Bender for his father's first name," said Anne. Allison gave Anne a weird look. "Please?"

"Are you sniffing something?" asked Allison, grinning.

Anne nodded happily. "Not just sniffing, inhaling! If it's the right name, I have my answer!" Allison wished she could hug Anne, but to touch, Anne was just air. Allison stepped up to Bender's bed.

"Bender, can I ask you something? What's your father's name?" asked Allison. Anne perked up.

"Jagoff Bender Sr!" said Bender.

Anne sulked. Allison rolled her eyes. "I'm serious!" Anne smacked herself in the head. A joke! What a dumbass she was turning into!

"My dumbass dad's name is Jack. Jack Bender."

Anne fainted.


	9. Weeping Willow

Claire wanted to stay a little more with Bender (truth be told, so did Anne, she a million and a half questions), but Allison felt like she needed some sleep. So, after kissing Andy for what seemed like an eternity, Allison and Anne caught a bus back into the suburban part of town. Allison had a feeling Anne had a ghostly heart attack after hearing the name "Jack Bender." Anne knew who her true love was. John Bender's father. Allison didn't exactly see this as an easy situation though. If Anne had known what her old boyfriend had reverted to, well then, Anne wouldn't exactly be happy. Allison knew she had to tell Anne the fact that her once true love had not only married and had a son, but he kicked the shit out of the both of them.

Anne herself, after reviving, wasn't all hyper like Allison expected. Anne seemed almost remorseful. Her thought process was just as confusing as Allison's was.

"It's not like I shouldn't have realized that Jack would have moved on, but every person has one intentional true love who they can be happy with forever. Many people never meet theirs, so they marry someone else and get divorced after awhile. I was Jacks…are he and this new woman still together? How bad is it?" Anne was talking to Allison. "It can't be too good. Although I know Jack wouldn't be stupid. He might be trying to make it work. He's not one who'd break his woman's heart."

_No, but he'd be one to break her neck, _thought Allison.

"I want to touch his lips one more time," said Anne. Even if he's with another woman. He's the only one I ever loved."

Allison nodded, thinking of ways to beat around the bush. _Anne, your 'true love' is a horrible wife beater and child abuser. _

"I know who everyone's intentional true love is, and sometimes now it's fun seeing people kissing and seeing how wrong they truly are for each other! I know, for a fact, that Claire and John Bender are not intentionals. Claire has a guy waiting for her in Miami and John Bender's going to meet a girl in Chicago in a few years." She wasn't just saying this. It was true. Allison's ears perked up. That means she knew if Allison was meant to be with Andy!

"Anne…what about me?" asked Allison.

"Nice try, but I cannot tell people to their faces who they're intentional match up is! Sorry, thanks for playing the game!" Anne beamed. She had one up on her mistress! Allison groaned. Of course. She knew it seemed too easy.

Allison had indeed seen what Bender's father did. Over the summer, they quintet (minus Claire, who spent the summer in her parents' lawyers' offices being a 'witness') had driven out to the Rockies for a period of about 3 weeks, and when they returned Bender's car, his dad, drunk as a skunk, was already outside, boiling mad. Bender told the others to go down the road and he'd meet them there. He never appeared. Allison curiously had snuck back, and she'd witnessed such a horrible, screwed up man beating his son. The next day, Bender had a huge gash on his face when he met them at the old drive-in. Ever since, Allison had wanted to see Bender's father dead head on a silver platter. Allison never told anyone what she saw, only because she herself was so disgusted. She could only imagine if Andy, the honorable/protective one of the group, got wind of it, what he'd try to do to Jack Bender, and how he would no doubt fail miserably. She never even imagined a time where a girl as innocent and fun as Anne could have loved him.

Anne sighed happily. "I need to know how I can get into his house and kiss him! Then I'll be free and happy again!"

KISS HIM? Whoa…THAT wasn't in the job description!

"Anne, you never said you had to KISS him!"

"I do, and I want to! I actually am quite excited to see how my Jack-Jack has changed these past 25 years!"

Jack-Jack? Anne was ga-ga in love! This wasn't making it easy for Allison to tell Anne the truth! Allison had one idea. She reached above her head and pulled the red emergency-stop cord. Allison took Anne off the bus and walked about a block to Bender's house.

"You're taking me there now?!" said Anne in surprise. "Oh thank you! I wasn't going to be able to last very long!"

"We'll look in the window to see if he's home," said Allison. Both girl and ghostess climbed quietly onto the porch and looked in the window. Allison smiled as she heard a crash. He was home.

Jack Bender, looking like his son would in a few decades' time, stumbled into the visible room through the window. Allison ducked out of view. Because Anne didn't need to, she studied the man in the window intensively. He looked different. Something about him was dead. His eyes lost their glow (which appeared to now be contained in bags underneath). His feathery hair, while still long, was TOO long and graying fast. He carried a beer bottle and looked like he was searching for something…or someone.

"He's more aged than I expected…" muttered Anne. "But it's what inside that counts, right?"

Allison nodded solemnly. Anne continued her investigation.

Jack Bender shouted something. "BRENDA!!!" Anne cringed at his voice. It lost it's crooner's texture and was now a raspy old man's.

A blonde woman wearing too much makeup and what looked like a too-small t-shirt came out of the hallway into the room. Anne blinked. She looked like a whore!

"Jack?" she asked meekly.

"Where the fuck are my cigarettes?" Anne gasped. Jack had been against smoking for the longest time when they were dating!

Allison bit her lip as the scene continued.

"Jack, I don't know! Maybe the boy nabbed them again!" said Mrs. Bender.

Anne looked at Allison horrified. "The boy? John Bender?" she asked. Allison nodded. Anne gasped. When she and Jack talked about the future, they both had said that if they had babies, they'd be the happiest people on earth!

"I'll kick his sorry ass from here to Rio if he don't come home soon!" said Jack. Anne's head sank and cried her acidic tears.

"He's such an ungrateful wretch!" said Brenda. Jack suddenly backhanded Brenda across the room. She flipped over the coffee table with a scream. Anne cried out again.

"Shut your fucking mouth, bitch! I'm hungry! Turkey pot pie, make it snappy, you slut!" Anne couldn't take this anymore. He beat his family and didn't appreciate them. He'd made a complete 180-degree turnaround since she died! (Wasn't he a vegetarian too?)

Anne slumped down onto the deck and moaned. "My Jack…he's…my beautiful, wonderful Jack!" was all she could say. Allison got down and crawled beside her.

"Go in there quickly and win your freedom, I'll be out here—"

"—NO!" Anne yelled. Allison sat back.

"Why? If you just sneak in there and peck his lips, you're free! Just like you always wanted!" Allison began crying too, but she had to be quiet in case Jack heard and came outside.

"It's NOT WORTH IT! My Jack moved on, but he's not happy! He's cold and mean and scary! I'd rather be trapped in a mirror until the sun explodes than see this scene again! That man in there," Anne turned towards the window. "He's not my Jack-Jack. He's an adult!" Anne practically spat out the word "adult."

"What did you expect?" asked Allison.

"If he'd married, I was hoping he'd at least try to make things work! For my sake! He's forgotten me! I can't do it!"

"Anne, it's okay, you can do it! All your dreams are a simply kiss away!"

"It's not worth it. I may not have a heart, but that doesn't mean I can't feel heartache!" Anne curled up into a fetal position and began rocking herself back and forth.

"So, you won't free yourself?"

"I can't!"

Allison felt selfish. She couldn't help but think that if Anne didn't kiss Jack Bender, then Allison would be doomed to have headaches, midnight curfews, and bad dreams until kingdom come! But she understood Anne all the same.

"Can we just go home?" asked Anne. Allison nodded. Then a sudden pang in her head stopped her in her tracks.

"AH! That hurts!" Allison's head ached again. Allison decided to ignore it. She scooped Anne up into her arms and walked down the porch steps. Anne let herself go limp in Allison's arms and hung there like a corpse. She was nothing but a tuft of air, after all. Allison wanted to cry too, but she didn't want Jack or Brenda to hear her.

Suddenly, Anne was hurled from Allison's arms as she tripped over a paving brick that had come loose. Allison went sprawling to the ground with a yelp and Anne fell on her back several feet away.

:What the hell? Who's on my lawn?!" Jack yelled from inside. Allison screamed as Jack, looking like Satan with his red face, a steak knife grasped in hand, came outside and saw Allison there. "Well well, missy, you know what I do to trespassers on my property? I **SHISH KABOB** them!" Allison screamed.

"Run, Allison, run!" yelled Anne, getting up and sprinting down the block. Allison tried to get up, but she more like stumbled down the lawn. Jack pursued her quicker. Allison wasn't going to make it. She curled up and cowered.

Anne, watching this close by in tears, shut her eyes, and got the vision of Jack Bender in head…

"I'm sorry, My Jack-Jack…let the weeping willow fall on Jack Bender!" Anne yelled. Suddenly, the old weak willow tree near the house snapped at the roots and fell. Allison scrambled to Anne's feet as the tree fell. It was big enough to kill Jack, but Jack leapt back, and only grazed his front as it crashed. Anne pulled Allison along and they hid behind a nearby house.

"Fuck you!" Jack said, but he got up and went back into the house. Allison, shaken turned to thank Anne, but she was already half a block down the road. Allison shed a tear as she watched the haunting figure walk slowly down the street, her huge hair flowing in the wind behind her like a parachute, her white prom dress doing the same. It was a hauntingly beautiful figure with a heavy non-existent heart walking down the road. Allison walked alongside her all the way home.

Not a word was spoken.


	10. The Bargain

Allison found Anne curled up in a corner that evening. Allison, after shaking off the fact that Jack Bender pulled a knife on her (truth be told, she still was a little shocked), Allison found herself impressed with Anne. She was willing to kill her true love and sacrifice all chance at freedom to save her life. But Anne herself was deaf to the world. She couldn't grasp the fact that her Jack-Jack was a jerk. Anne wasn't about to kiss an asshole. Even without a brain she wasn't that dumb. She merely sat on the floor of Allison's room with her windows wide open, letting the cold air blast in her face as she rocked back an forth. It was freezing, and if Allison stayed in there overnight, even wrapped in covers, she'd get sick quickly. Allison decided to let Anne be for the night.

In the morning, Allison came up to her room only to find the door locked. Anne had locked it. Allison groaned. How the hell could she get her coat? She wanted to go visit Andy in the hospital and it was a below-freezing day outside. She could only imagine how cold it was inside. But Allison was not one to give up.

She went outside (cold as it was) and borrowed (borrowed, stole, what's the difference anyway?) the neighbor's ladder. She climbed up to the attic and peered in the window. Anne was sobbing, still rocking back and forth, and shivering like she was about to die. Allison had to cry. Anne could feel the cold. Allison understood Anne's depression, but this was a bit extreme. Allison climbed in the window and shut it. Anne looked up.

"Allison, leave me alone!"

"Anne, this is pathetic!" Allison heard herself screaming. "Ever since I dragged you out of that mirror, it's been freedom this, and true love that. He loved you once. But nothing lasts forever! You have to ask yourself something. Is moping really worth losing your freedom, the one thing you treasure more than anything?"

Anne stood up in defiance. "That's where you're wrong! I treasured Jack more than anything! Then that damn car accident after the prom killed me. I lost my life, and Jack lost his mind! The last few weeks afterwards, I was only able to view Jack as he went from As to Fs in a few assignments alone, as he sat in detention the first time in his life. I watched from the glass window as he puffed marijuana and lost his virginity to the first girl he met after me…Brenda Sanderson…behind the bleachers of the football field. I watched graduation from a window in the fly-space of the auditorium and cried when Jack proposed to Brenda. Imagine how it feels, Allison. Not even a month after you die, your true love moves on to the next girl he met! After they walked out of the school, I never saw them again. I had heard rumors from a girl who'd been a junior that Jack and Brenda had married and gotten divorced the same summer. Apparently it WAS just a rumor. But I never thought he'd let all those horrid things become habits!" Anne let out a tragic howl. Allison covered her ears and cringed.

"Anne, come to the hospital with me."

"No."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because Bender looks exactly like his father. THAT'S why I was so attracted to him! I saw his father in his eyes! I'm not going anywhere near there!" Anne sat on Allison's bed and crossed her arms, her cheeks still stained with tears. Allison nodded and grabbed a sweater.

"The choice is yours, Anne. But remember, it's not my fault you're never going to be happy again. Coward!" and with that, Allison unlocked her door and stepped out. Anne looked at Allison's shadow as it descended the stairs.

* * *

After one night, both Bender and Andy looked worlds better. Bender's cuts across his face were almost clear, and Andy's breathing tube was no longer needed. Both were still hooked up to IV lines. Claire was back, sitting beside Bender again. On the table between the beds laid various McDonald bags and stray fries, an unfinished hamburger, and the smell of lunch still hung in the air. Outside food wasn't allowed in the hospital. Allison rose an eyebrow at Andy. Andy in turn pointed at Bender, who grinned mischievously.

"The brown lumps in green sauce today didn't look as good as the green lumps in brown sauce they had last night," Bender said. Claire tsked at Bender.

"It was just a tuna sandwich and salad!" she said.

"Since when does tuna smell like a litter box? And those definitely weren't green olives in that salad!" Bender retorted.

Allison laughed. Bender was certainly recovering. Allison looked at Andy, who smiled. Allison sat beside him and gave him a soft hug.

"My ribs are still tender. I'll be able to leave the day after Ronald McDonald over here does," he said. Allison smiled, brushed his hair aside and kissed his forehead.

For a half-an-hour, it was like old times. The quartet laughed and joked. Bender harassed the nurses and Allison stared them down like a basketcase. By 3 PM, every nurse in the hospital went out of their way to avoid their room.

Allison still kept Anne in the back of her mind. She felt kind of bad. But what could she do? Anne had every right to do what she wanted to.

"May I come in?" a familiar voice from behind the group turned everyone's heads. Allison's jaw dropped. It was Anne. Only she wasn't blue. She looked as alive as a human. She still wore her dress and her hair was still abnormally long, but she was, well, ALIVE.

"Who the hell are you?" asked Bender.

"I'm Anneliese D'Amato. Call me Anne." Anne walked into the room. Allison was speechless. Everyone else was confused. "I was a friend of your father's. I came here to talk to you, John Bender."

Allison pulled Anne aside. "Anne, why…what…how?" was all she could utter.

Anne smiled. "You'll see." Anne walked up to Bender. She explained everything to him. Allison backed up her story.

"How do I know I'm not high?" asked Bender after the story had finished.

"Here," said Anne, tossing a huge book at Bender. Allison had never seen it before either. On the front read "Shermer High School: 1959." "Page 24."

Bender flipped to that page. His father's senior picture was on that page. "Next page over now," said Anne. Bender turned the page. Anne's picture, clear as day, was the last photo on the page.

"I'll be god damned. It's true. I'm seeing a ghost chick!" said Bender. "A ghost chick who died dating my dad!"

"I know this may be a shock to you…"

"…no shit, Sherlock."

"You father said that sometimes," said Anne. Bender chuckled a little bit. Claire and Andy were still totally in the dark. "Bender, your father is a miserable man. He is miserable because I am dead. His married your mother in misery and is a lonely man who beats you two because he still thinks about me. He can't move on."

Bender looked at the floor.

"I must let you know that I will only be human for three days. I have a proposition for you in the meanwhile. You do have only three days to make it. After those three days, you will forget I exist…" Anne turned to Allison. "All of you will. I had a chance to be free. To be able to explore the universe and be free and unlimited. In order to gain it I had to kiss your father. I cannot bring myself to that. He's an ass, if you'll pardon me!"

"You're pardoned," said Bender nodding.

"Anne—"

"—wait, Allison. I traded my freedom for something I think is better. I can change your life if you listen to me, Bender."

Bender nodded. "I'm listening."

"I am flesh now, but for sacrificing my freedom I have also been given a chance to go back in time to the day before I die with my memory intact. I died in a car accident with your father at the wheel. I can reverse time back to 1959. You all will be unborn, time will rewind as a whole. You all will not be alive, having yet to be born, but I will. I can avoid getting in that car and save my life. Bender, your father is my intended true love. Which basically means if I live, it is guaranteed we will get married. I can save my life, marry your father, and have you as my son instead of Brenda's. It will still be you, born on the same day of the same year. But your father and I will be happy, which means you can be too. Think about it, no abuse, no misery in your life. You'll be a better person with a happier life. The rest of you won't be affected, I promise."

Bender's eyes were wide.

"Think carefully, Bender. Things may change, and it's up to you to decide whether they'll be for better or worse. This is a rare opportunity. The earth's time can be turned back just for you. You have until Sunday at sunset to make your decision." Anne smiled. Everyone but Allison seemed to feel like they were hallucinating.

Allison pulled Anne aside. "Anne? Why did you sacrifice your freedom?"

"I think it's time to stop thinking about me for a change," said Anne. "Sunday at sunset you will be free of me, that's all that matters! Now, let's get home, please?" Anne walked out of the door. Allison turned to face her friends, shrugged, and left the room after.

What if Allison didn't WANT to be free of Anne?


	11. Best For You

_**Author's Note: **If this chapter isn't the best (it's short), don't blame me, blame the writer's block (that's why it took awhile to get it up). This is more of a connecting chapter, not much action, mostly talk. Your reviews have been extremely kind to this point, thank you, and continue!

* * *

_

When Allison got home from the hospital, she found Anne looking through her old sketchbooks and watercolor journals.

"You're a really keen artist!" said Anne. Allison, silent and sad, nodded.

"Yeah, that one's from fifth grade. I got Artist of the Year for that." Anne nodded.

"I see."

Allison nodded, the pressure to scream out loud welled up inside her. Anne seemed so innocent, so happy in her decision. Allison was pissed. All this time, Anne had been 'me, me, me!' Now she suddenly thinks of someone else? Allison growled and slammed her coat on the floor. Anne jumped a mile off her seat. "WHAT THE HELL?!" she screamed.

"What?"

"What WAS that back at the hospital? How did you…how COULD you…have you lost your mind?!" Allison began sputtering out.

"You should talk!" Anne remarked, standing up. "I'm doing something for someone else for a change. Don't argue with me, I know what I'm doing!"

"No you don't! The one thing you've wanted for longer than I've fucking been alive, and now you sacrifice it on a whim?"

"It wasn't a whim! Trust me, Allison!"

"I'm doing what's best for all of us! You're so selfish!" said Anne.

"ME? SELFISH? No, if I were the selfish one, I'd be arguing about me! I'm concerned for you!" Allison ripped off her shirt and quickly threw on an old ratty t-shirt.

"You're SELFISH, because I'm finally doing the right thing! You're not concerned about me, you're pissed off because all the trouble I've put you through is in vain! I'm FUCKING SORRY! But you gotta move on! This IS what's best for me! It'll benefit Bender, Jack, me, you, everyone!"

"Did you ever stop and think about what will happen to you if he says no? Did you ever think about how you can never be free now that someone else has seen you? You are such a dumbass! What will happen to you if Bender doesn't take up on your offer?" asked Allison. Anne was about to retort, when she looked at her feet and sighed to herself woefully.

"I don't know."

But she did. She did know.

* * *

Back at the hospital, Andy had been wheeled down for some X-rays of his body, and Bender and Claire were left to talk to each other, and what else to talk about but this new opportunity?

"I still think they're giving me too much of that numbing stuff," said Bender.

Claire smiled. "I think she was real." Bender looked up at Claire and shook his head.

"That's what you get from watching one two many Disney movies, princess!" Claire playfully nudged his arm (so it wouldn't hurt). "But do you really think she can sent us back in time and give me a better life?"

Claire shrugged. Bender closed his eyes and revisited what the scrawny little Greek girl had said:

_"I must let you know that I will only be human for three days. I have a proposition for you in the meanwhile. You do have only three days to make it. After those three days, you will forget I exist…all of you will. I had a chance to be free. To be able to explore the universe and be free and unlimited. In order to gain it I had to kiss your father. I cannot bring myself to that. He's an ass, if you'll pardon me! I am flesh now, but for sacrificing my freedom I have also been given a chance to go back in time to the day before I die with my memory intact. I died in a car accident with your father at the wheel. I can reverse time back to 1959. You all will be unborn, time will rewind as a whole. You all will not be alive, having yet to be born, but I will. I can avoid getting in that car and save my life. Bender, your father is my intended true love. Which basically means if I live, it is guaranteed we will get married. I can save my life, marry your father, and have you as my son instead of Brenda's. It will still be you, born on the same day of the same year. But your father and I will be happy, which means you can be too. Think about it, no abuse, no misery in your life. You'll be a better person with a happier life. The rest of you won't be affected, I promise…"_

Bender opened his eyes. Claire was running her hand over his softly.

"So, what are you going to do?" asked Claire. "She said the rest of us won't be affected, so only worry a bout yourself, okay?"

"It's so much to think about!" Bender said.

"Everyone wishes they could go back in time and start over. You can!" said Claire.

"On the one end, my dad won't be nearly as much an asshole as he is, which would make ME less miserable! We might live in a better house with a little more dough to burn, and I might not be lying here in this lame hospital feeling like a dependent!" Claire giggled. She could tell Bender was never a fan of being humbled.

"Sounds pretty good, doesn't it?" remarked Claire.

"But then again, I might change. I might not be, well, me. Instead, I might be an Andy, or a Brian. And while that might not be as bad as it SEEMS, that means I might not have gone to detention last spring," Bender said. "In a way, we'd all be a little more miserable if we'd never met. Am I right?"

"I guess you really do have a hard decision!" said Claire.

"You know, I can get by the way I am now, but will I really be happier being in a different family setting? I mean, look at Sporto and his dad, not really much difference there between him and me. Dork Boy nearly killed himself because his parents cared too much. And you missed out on a whole summer because of your parents' divorce! Only me and Allison have really sucky home lives. But we manage to get by, don't we?"

Claire nodded.

"Fuck, now I sound like a goddamn philosopher! I need out of this stupid hospital!" Claire laughed as Bender crossed his eyes.

"So, what's it gonna be? A happier home life or a happier social life?" asked Claire.

"I honestly don't know, Claire, I really don't."

Bender took Claire's hand in his. Claire pressed her forehead against Bender's. "I hate thinking!"

"Do what's best for you," said Claire. The door opened as a male nurse wheeled Andy back into the room and settled him in bed again. Bender smiled.

"So, what's the deal?" he asked Andy.

"I'm healing, but I might not be able to wrestle in the spring…my ribs are gonna be tender for awhile," said Andy.

"That sucks," said Claire.

"No," said Andy. "It's cool. It's what's best for me!"


	12. The End of the Beginning

_**A/N: **I can't believe after so long I'm finally updating this! _

_**FLYING CHEESE ALERT: This is a cheesy end to a cheesy story! Ye be warned!

* * *

**_

By the time Sunday rolled around, Allison and Anne were still at odds. Anne knew she'd go to the hospital an hour before sunset to hear what Bender chose. Allison was still pissed how Anne finally chose to grow a heart after so much suffering. In the meantime, Allison spent most of her time visiting Andy. He was slowly recovering himself, but unfortunately his dad kept trying to rush the therapy process so Andy could get back to wrestling. Andy blew him off, and Allison was proud of him for it.

Anne met Allison in front of the hospital an hour before sunset. Anne looked at the red horizon and sighed.

"Anne?"

"What?"

"What will happen to you if he says no?" said Allison. Anne looked at her feet.

"You'll never see me as a ghostess again," Anne said. Allison bit her lip. Was she going to turn to dust or something? Anne didn't say another word more, and just opened the door and let Allison walk through it first.

In the hospital room, Bender was propped up in his bed. Andy was eating a bootlegged roast beef sandwich Claire brought for him. Brian had even showed up, sitting in a chair by Andy's bed. When Allison and Anne entered the room, everyone looked at the duo.

"Well, you weren't dreaming, John," said Claire.

"Damnit," was Bender's reply. Anne avoided Bender's eyes. She saw too much of her lost love in them. She'd break down again if she looked in them.

"Who's she?" asked Brian, standing up looking at the dark, delicate girl in the odd clothes next to Allison. Anne looked at the new boy she'd never seen before, and felt something inside her warm up. Anne blushed and looked away from Brian, who flashed his braces at her.

"Long story," said Allison. Anne nodded. Good answer.

"So, are you a foreign exchange student?" asked Brian. Anne laughed.

"You'd be surprised how foreign this day and age is to me," Anne answered. Brian shot another silver-lined grin. Anne gathered up the courage to walk over to the window bed where Bender was with Claire. She sat on the edge of his bed. Even as a mortal, she seemed weightless, barely causing a wrinkle in the sheets.

"Have you made your decision?" asked Anne. The sun was only half above the horizon now.

"I've decided to check myself into rehab. I'm getting addicted to the morphine!"

Anne rolled her eyes. "A sense of humor. Like your father," Anne muttered. Bender twiddled his thumb.

"You said he wasn't always miserable. What was he like before…half-miserable?" Bender asked. Anne sighed woefully.

"You look exactly like him. He was smart. He got great grades—"

"—like you, Brian!" said Claire. Brian blushed.

"He was very charming. He always knew what to say and has great style…"

"Like you!" Brian said, pointing at Claire.

Anne smiled and thought some more. "He was strong and protective…"

"Like me," suggested Andy. Allison nodded.

"Although, he WAS a bit mischievous and sometimes crept people out with his strange eating habits!"

Allison squealed. No one needed to tell her that was her trait.

"He was an unstoppable man who could have reached for the stars had I remained with him. It makes ME feel guilty sometimes, thinking if I never got in the car, he'd still be that same man I knew in high school back in the fifties," Anne said. "I guess that man is still here now, but in five people instead of one."

Brian was inspired. This girl knew what to say. Anne turned to Bender, "Well, John? I need your decision!"

Bender sighed. Her speech just now made him feel soft…and he didn't like soft feelings. "What you just said made a lotta sense. I guess we're all unstoppable together. But if I chose to change it, then it might never have happened. I might have a better home life and all, but then I'd a cherry-minded goody two shoes and THAT isn't me no matter HOW many times I'm reborn! Then I wouldn't have met these dingle-berries here today!" Everyone chuckled. Bender was still Bender, even during this sappy moment. "I wouldn't change that for the world!"

Anne nodded. "That's exactly what Jack Bender would have said!"

Allison suddenly squeaked. The sun was now just a sliver in the sky. Time was running out. Anne walked back up to Allison and kissed her cheek.

"I owe you so much. Thank you for all you did for me," Anne said.

"I'll miss you!" Allison felt herself crying. "Please don't leave!"

Anne smiled. "I have a feeling you won't miss me too much!" Anne embraced Allison.

"I won't forget you!" Allison murmured. Anne tried hard to restrain her own acidic tears. Allison then walked over to Andy and held his hand. So this was goodbye…it had been surreal when Allison first helped Anne escape the mirror. Now it was surreal that things were going back to normal.

"What'll happen to you?" Allison asked one last time. Maybe now Anne would answer her. But Anne didn't. She just shrugged, sighed, and turned toward the door.

Anne began to leave, when Brian shot up. "Wait! Where are you going? I'm still VERY, VERY confused by all this…but why are you leaving us?"

Anne looked into Brian's eyes and smiled tenderly. Brian felt a thrusting motion in his chest. So did Anne.

"I have to go," was all she said. Anne kissed Brian's cheek as well. Brian felt a warm tingling where she's kissed him. Anne left the room without looking back. Allison looked out the window as the sun disappeared from the sky. The lights suddenly went out in the ward. Three nurses went flying down the hallway.

"The power's out!" said one.

"What was THAT?" said another.

"We need to get the generator on…QUICK!" said the third.

"Oh god, what's happening to that girl?" shouted the first.

"She's GLOWING?" wondered the second.

"She's GONE!" yelled the third. The power suddenly came back on, and all was normal. Allison buried her head in Andy's shoulder, and Andy, still a little dazed, patted Allison's head and pulled her closer.

No trace of Anneliese D'Amato was left.

* * *

School the next day was a shitfest for Allison. She felt empty knowing Anne was gone forever, probably a pile of dust being carried with the wind.

During lunch, Allison, Claire, and Brian were sitting in their spot (the other two were still hospitalized). Allison was silent. Claire and Brian talked softly with each other.

"She seems depressed," said Claire. "Must have been that girl from the hospital."

"She was beautiful. I felt something as soon as she walked in the room," Brian added.

"Brian, you're such a romantic!" Claire remarked. Allison was off in her own little world. For the first time last night, she didn't have a nightmare. She dreamt about something she forgot about now. Allison took a bite of her peanut-butter and carrot sandwich, when suddenly, she was truck with her throbbing headaches.

"Ah!" she moaned. Anne was gone…why was she still getting a headache?

"Al, what's wrong?" asked Brian.

"I just need to go to the bathroom," Allison said softly. "I'll be back." Allison got up and wandered down to the nearest girls' room. Her headache intensified as she stepped inside. Suddenly, her headache dissipated. Was Anne still fucking with her head? Allison dashed to the mirror on the wall and looked within.

Suddenly, someone appeared out of the corner of her eye. She was no longer dressed in her sad, sweeping prom gown, but in a t shirt, love beads, and jeans. Her one flowing hair was now cut shoulder-length and straightened. She wasn't pale, but now the tanned Greek skin color that went with her jet black hair. She waved to Allison, who whipped her head around and grinned.

There stood Anne. Completely human. Allison ran to Anne's side and embraced her tightly.

"Anne! What the hell?!" Allison cried.

"I told you after sunset you wouldn't see me as a GHOSTESS anymore! I've been given life again, Al!" Anne said proudly.

"But how?" Allison inquired.

"For my sacrifice! I was willing to give up everything for the well being of another! I'm now completely independent of you, I can do whatever I want! I don't have a curfew! I'm now an 18-year-old girl with blood in her veins and a beating heart! I'm mortal!"

"Oh, I'm so happy for you!" Allison said.

"I told you that you wouldn't miss me too much!" Anne said, laughing. "Gotcha!"

"I'll kill you for that!"

"No you won't! I'm mortal. If you kill me, then you'll get arrested like everyone else!" Anne said. Allison wanted to cry. "Now you and your friends will have to put up with my annoying jokester antics 24/7!"

"Oh crap!" Allison said sarcastically.

"Your nightmares and headaches are forever gone too…except when I want you to explain something to me…I'm not used to these 'boom boxes,' or what you call 'MTV'!"

"I'll put up with it!" said Allison. Anne nodded and looped her hand in with Allison's. "Let's go introduce you to everyone!" Allison proposed. "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!"

Anne smiled and opened the door for Allison. The pair went happily walking down the hall towards the cafeteria, when Anne spoke again. "Speaking of which…that boy with the braces…is he dating anyone?"

* * *

_**Author's Thanks: **To everyone who reviewed (especially Kristen), thanks for the kind words and suggestions! Done at last! Phew! Drop me a final word on this and lemme know what u think of the cheesy ending!_


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